Utility bags of the type described, adapted to be carried by either hand or shoulder straps, are well known, and may be constructed of a relatively lightweight flexible material, e.g. paper or thin plastics, or of a relatively durable material such as a thicker plastics material, e.g. heavy grade nylon, plastics-coated fabric, leather or canvas material. Such bags will be referred to herein as "carrier bags".
When a pedestrian visits shops or stores for the purpose of purchasing articles, such as articles of food or clothing, a significant difficulty lies in the fact that not only must money and other valuables be conveyed in a conveniently accessible manner but also a receptacle must be carried in which to place the purchased articles. In most cases, this means that two separate bags must be carried: a shopping bag and a handbag. Although it would theoretically be possible to place money and other valuables inside the shopping bag, this is impractical because the valuables would become mixed up with the articles of shopping and thus would not be readily accessible. It would also be possible to place the handbag within the shopping bag but this would defeat the object of carrying the shopping bag since most of the available space would be taken up by the handbag. The need to carry two separate bags is inconvenient because it means that the user's attention must be directed to two separate items and the chances of mislaying or losing one item is correspondingly increased.
Additionally, it is simply more awkward and unwieldy to carry two bags than to carry one.
When a separate handbag is carried, the location of valuables is immediately advertised to any potential bag snatcher or pickpocket. It is well known that money or other valuables are carried in a handbag which has a readily identifiable shape and appearance. Furthermore, owing to the need for easy accessibility, it is common practice for the user of a handbag to leave the fastening undone during shopping thus giving easy access also to a pickpocket. It is also relatively easy for an aggressive thief to simply cut the bag with a knife thus releasing the bag from its handle or releasing the contents.
It is thus clearly apparent that there is a real need for a bag which avoids the above-mentioned difficulties but which does not itself introduce further inconvenient aspects.